How many updates will the Galaxy S24 get?

Samsung matches Google and takes the fight to Apple

When Google announced that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro would receive seven years of software support, Google told us that "no other major smartphone brand offers this level of commitment to support and longevity, and we're so excited to extend support even longer and set a new standard for smartphones."

It turns out that Samsung would only need a couple of months to match Google's new standard with the Galaxy S24 series. As Google and Samsung work closely together on software, this isn't a surprise. Still, it's a welcome development, one that will challenge Apple and other Android developers to offer more longevity for their products. 

Only after Samsung started offering four OS updates for its flagship phones and tablets in 2022 did other Android OEMs like OPPO and Xiaomi start to follow suit. Apple, which has offered five or six OS updates for its phones for some time, didn't feel any pressure at the time. 

Now, even though Apple surpassed Samsung for global phone sales for the first time last year, Apple may feel more pressure to extend its iPhone support beyond the usual five-year span. 

Now, anyone who pre-orders the Galaxy S24 series has the assurance that their phone will stay fully up-to-date for seven years. Samsung typically offers one fewer OS update than years of security updates; now, the Galaxy S series will receive the latest software right up until the end of its lifespan.

The question is, will seven years become the new standard for the best Android phones, or are Samsung and Google overreaching? They can easily promise seven years now, but will Android 21 truly be something that the phones and silicon of today can run? 

It seems difficult to predict what kind of advances will be made by 2031 and whether the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — despite its powerful benchmarks — will be capable of running whatever Android tricks Google comes up with by then. No one would expect 2017's Galaxy S8 phone to work well with modern software, armed with the 10nm Snapdragon 835.

Perhaps Samsung and Google are banking on AI advances compensating for hardware shortcomings in the future. At Galaxy Unpacked 2024, Samsung focused on its new Galaxy AI and how it augments tools like the camera sensors beyond what the hardware is capable of. Perhaps this will help ensure the Galaxy S24's longevity.